The Step Up to the Plate Benefit Luncheon brings friends, colleagues and neighbors together to create a brighter future for Bellevue's children. This year's event will focus on two areas that are key to making a difference in Bellevue: food and education.

Despite the belief about the affluence of Bellevue, there are still people living in poverty here. Hunger happens here. There are families living in their cars, children wearing shoes with holes in them and straight-A students unable to afford college tuition here. One in five children are living near or below the federal poverty line. There are over 200 homeless students in the Bellevue School District. These numbers are shocking for any community, but especially for Bellevue, with its wealth of resources.